There are several prior methods of clamping and rotating tubing, pipe and conduit. A first method is that the user manually installs the proper size mandrel or collets to secure the tubing, pipe or conduit which is then manually fed into the bending machine. The user must also manually rotate for alternative bends on the same piece of tubing, pipe or conduit. Another method is that the user manually installs the proper size mandrel or collets to secure the tubing, pipe or conduit which is then automatically fed into the bending machine. All prior methods consisted of either having no rotation of the workpiece, manual rotation of the workpiece or the workpiece was automatically rotated using motors, geared motors, or a form of hydraulic or pneumatic actuation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,435 discloses a multi-diameter vise clamp and collet jaw that allows for the machining of top surfaces and ends of a held part. The collet jaws are secured to each of the clamping blocks on the machine vise. The collet jaws include at least one collet pocket shaped into the inside surface of each collet jaw. The collet pockets are designed to receive collet pads which are shaped to hold a generally cylindrical part with varying diameters. By having more than one collet pocket within each collet jaw, several different sizes of collet pads can be utilized at the same time and a part with varying diameters can be held securely in place within the machine vise.
United States Publication No. US 2003/0080267 A1 discloses a multi-sized clamp capable of attaching to various sized cylindrical objects such as iris rods of a professional movie camera. The multi-sized clamp includes a pair of clamp jaws connected by a hinge and a pivotable adjustment rod. The clamp jaws' interior surfaces include curved surfaces having at least two different diameters. The clamp jaws are opened by turning the pivotable adjustment rod in one direction and closed by turning it in the opposite direction. One of the clamp jaws also contains a body that also has an opening and an L-shaped split above the opening with a closing mechanism running through the body above the opening and through the split. The closing mechanism when turned in one direction increases the opening and decreases the opening when turned in the opposite direction, thus allowing other equipment to be attached to the clamp through the opening.
United States Publication No. 2012/0243954 A1 discloses a hole saw tube notcher with a rotary vice that aligns a tubular workpiece and a hole saw aligning assembly with a rotatable arm that aligns a hole saw to form a single or multiple cut notch geometry with a set radial middle that remains fixed when the rotary arm is rotated and when different diameter workpieces and hole saws are secured to the notcher.
Current tube, pipe and conduit benders have collets and mandrels that have to be changed whenever a new diameter (inner diameter or outer diameter) tube, pipe or conduit is used. This becomes very costly to obtain and store numerous sizes of collets and mandrels.
A rotary chuck is provided herein which provides improvements to existing chucks and which overcomes the disadvantages presented by the prior art. Other features and advantages will become apparent upon a reading of the attached specification, in combination with a study of the drawings.